DELTAGRID 2050, SOUTH HOLLAND

Perspectives on the South Holland energy infrastructure

On July 1, 2019, the DeltaGrid 2050 vision was offered to the South Holland representative Adri Blom-Lenstra. A research by design project oriented at the exploration of future energy infrastructure for the South Holland energy system.

How do we deal with energy if all sources and different energy carriers - molecules, electrons and heat - are connected and interchangeable? What happens if millions of energy users also become producers as well, continuously, automated and digitalized interacting with the energy system as consumers and suppliers? And how will this system work if all users have ultimate freedom to create their own energy infrastructure, or when the government makes decisions based on cost efficiency throughout the chains?

Together with Fabrications, Studio Wolfpack and Kamangir, commissioned by the province of South Holland and the Energy Innovation Board, two perspectives - ultimate freedom in an energy patchwork and ultimate efficiency in an energy mainframe - are related to the digitization of our energy system: the Internet of Energy. This leads to two entirely different futures for the province of South Holland, with huge systemic differences, as well as economical, societal and institutional challenges. A synthesis of these perspectives explores how a robust energy infrastructure with room for local initiatives could appear, and where a patchwork or a mainframe approach would be dominant.

StudioMarcoVermeulen b has worked on the regional elaboration and implementation of the Circular Mainframe, a robust and future-proof energy and raw material system using a multi-commodity backbone structure. We previously developed this Circular Mainframe on behalf of the Klimaattafel Industrie and offers scope and direction to many initiatives from various stakeholders and users.